Paul Chitwood (born 1970) is an American Baptist minister who is the 13th and current president of the International Mission Board, serving since 2018.
He joined the seminary's faculty in 2002 and was also chosen as a trustee of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board that year.
At the expiration of his term, he continued his work as pastor of First Baptist Church in Mount Washington, Kentucky, and with the International Mission Board.
[1] Despite a fear of public speaking, Chitwood became a minister and preached his first sermon on a Wednesday night at his home church after the pastor had resigned.
[3][4] He later attended the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where he earned the Master of Divinity in 1995 and a doctorate degree in 2001.
[3] That same year, he became a trustee of the International Mission Board, and he was chosen president of the Kentucky state pastors' conference.
[12] During Chitwood's term as president, the University of the Cumberlands – a KBC-affiliated university and Chitwood's alma mater – was criticized for expelling a student who posted on MySpace that he was homosexual, in violation of the school's code of conduct, which stated: "any student who engages in or promotes sexual behavior not consistent with Christian principles (including sex outside marriage and homosexuality) may be suspended or asked to withdraw.
[16] In 2016, the KBC announced that member churches had contributed $22.3 million to the Southern Baptist Convention through the Cooperative Program, more than any other year in the organization's history.
[18] Chitwood opposed this effort, recording an ad broadcast on Christian radio stations and distributing a video to Southern Baptist churches in Kentucky urging them to resist the governor's proposal.
[19] Following Smithwick's resignation, Chitwood announced a fundraising campaign intended to raise $5 million to make up for the shortfall produced by the withheld offerings.
[19] Chitwood and his wife, Michelle, led a campaign called "Be the One", urging Kentucky Baptists to become more involved in helping care for abused and neglected children.
[5] During Chitwood's term, Campbellsville University severed its covenant agreements with the KBC in order to gain more autonomy over its affairs.
[22] At the KBC annual meeting in November 2018, the convention expelled "more than a dozen" churches who continued to support CBF after the ban was lifted.
[22] In a subsequent interview, Chitwood said "the convention could not support groups that 'embrace alternative lifestyles' and adopt policies that 'redefine what is right and wrong' when it comes to Baptist beliefs that homosexuality is a sin.
"[22] On November 6, 2018, he announced his candidacy for president of the International Mission Board, a position vacated by the resignation of David Platt in September 2018.